A U.N. conference on climate change has entered its final day, with a deal on long-term efforts to cut carbon emissions still elusive.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak to the meeting in Montreal, Canada, later Friday, highlighting the outsider status of the United States at the conference.

During his presidency, Mr. Clinton endorsed the Kyoto Protocol on reducing what are called greenhouse, or heat trapping, gas emissions in the atmosphere. The Bush administration rejects the protocol as too costly and says it unfairly exempts developing nations such as China and India. Mr. Clinton will appear in a private capacity.

Despite the U.S. position, delegates say ministers from more than 90 nations are close to agreeing on a negotiating plan to extend the Kyoto accord beyond 2012, when it is set to expire.